I recently chatted with an expat living abroad. She was writing an article sharing her mental health challenges, her attempt to recover and find some peace. Her solution was to jet off to Italy, eat gelato and pizza, and let her depression and anxiety sail away into the Mediterranean sea. A scene we have all seen in the movie Eat Pray Love, and numerous other movies, books, and television shows.
She was quite surprised when the depression and anxiety had the nerve to linger, shadowing her goal of healing. We talked about why this was happening. Growing up, there was a lot of talk about looking “on the bright side,” not just for her but many of us. When we idealize and manifest, we create a narrative in our head as to how life and experiences should be. When the story falls flat, we’re disappointed, shocked, and sad, and clueless as to how to pivot.
So how can we pivot?
- We talked about identifying and acknowledging our feelings, thoughts, expectations in attempts to normalize our situation.
- Next we looked at connection. Connecting with people can help us fuel our sense of community.
- And finally….breathing! That little thing our body does at all hours of the day and night. Deep breathing helps regulate our nervous system, especially when we feel we’re in a panic.
Check out the article here! https://www.wellandgood.com/expat-depression/
